This summer, AED brought 49 Iraqi students to the U.S. for the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program, which is funded by the US Embassy in Baghdad. This six-week fellowship program is an example of how the United States is transitioning from military and security activities in Iraq to education and development.

The group was recently featured on the White House blog.

The group started out in Washington, D.C., with an opening workshop that included a talk by Macon Phillips, special assistant to President Obama, and director for new media at the White House, and a welcome reception hosted in the groups honor at a local jazz music and cultural center. Representatives from the State Department, Iraqi Embassy in Washington, and the White House National Security Council were also in attendance.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst has been hosting our Public Policy Institute, which explores how government, public policy, and community programs create social change. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond hosts the Social Media Institute, which focuses on the development and use of technology, and explores the use of this technology in society, and how social networking technologies can best be used for community improvement. Students are participating in classroom lectures and site visits related to their academic topic. They are also volunteering in their host communities and attending group lessons on leadership, team building, and conflict resolution.

Two of the students were also recently interviewed on NBC 12 in Richmond, Va., and the group was featured on Richmond.com.

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